hi folks,
mainly road cyclist here. a bit of background: i'm a Cat 1 and have done a few PRT races this year - to train for such taxing events I've done a TON of volume training this year, I'm at over 850 hours since Jan 1st. i'm about 5'9" and 145ish pounds, probably about 12% BF. like many folks on here probably, i track calories and what i eat on MFP. i try not to be obsessive, but i like to keep my weight in a roughly 5lb range so that i never have to make a huge effort to get to race weight if i want to.
one thing i've noticed with all the volume training the last few years is that my resting HR is quite low, as i'm sure is the same with many on here - about 40, with a max of 180. additionally, based on some rough calculations, i've gotten quite efficient at burning fat during long rides. as a one-off experiment to find my bonk limit and estimate my fat utilization, i did a 5000kj ride at about 60% FTP consuming no nutrition during and was fine by the end (no bonk). additionally, it takes a LOT for me to start sweating - my body often runs "cool".
the reason i bring this up is that i am sure that many folks on here are similarly efficient at burning fat and having low HR's - does that mean that i have an extremely low resting metabolic rate as well? for example, when i am tracking calories i set Myfitnesspal to the absolute MINIMUM that I can just to maintain weight and not gain it. that is, even though i do about 3 miles of walking at my job per day and commute via bike both ways i set it to "sedentary" (1500cal RMR according to the app) and then i ONLY add to that what my powermeter tells me.
basically, on a normal day i'll commute 12 miles round trip, walk 3 miles at work, and then do a 1500kj bike session while eating about 3000 calories, yet my weight stays the same (yes, i do measure my food and even add about 250 "ghost calories" to the day's tally). i work with a powerlifter who is about 180 lbs, does NO cardio, claims to always be warm, and eats a measured 5000cal per day just to maintain weight and not lose it.
so my question is: has all the endurance training made us so hyper-efficient that our bodies basically burn no calories unless we're actively working out? has anyone gotten a gas-exchange test to actually see what their RMR is? i'm just baffled as to how it seems that i need so little intake compared to my activity level lest i gain weight instantly, despite measuring and trying to actually overcompensate in that regard.
mainly road cyclist here. a bit of background: i'm a Cat 1 and have done a few PRT races this year - to train for such taxing events I've done a TON of volume training this year, I'm at over 850 hours since Jan 1st. i'm about 5'9" and 145ish pounds, probably about 12% BF. like many folks on here probably, i track calories and what i eat on MFP. i try not to be obsessive, but i like to keep my weight in a roughly 5lb range so that i never have to make a huge effort to get to race weight if i want to.
one thing i've noticed with all the volume training the last few years is that my resting HR is quite low, as i'm sure is the same with many on here - about 40, with a max of 180. additionally, based on some rough calculations, i've gotten quite efficient at burning fat during long rides. as a one-off experiment to find my bonk limit and estimate my fat utilization, i did a 5000kj ride at about 60% FTP consuming no nutrition during and was fine by the end (no bonk). additionally, it takes a LOT for me to start sweating - my body often runs "cool".
the reason i bring this up is that i am sure that many folks on here are similarly efficient at burning fat and having low HR's - does that mean that i have an extremely low resting metabolic rate as well? for example, when i am tracking calories i set Myfitnesspal to the absolute MINIMUM that I can just to maintain weight and not gain it. that is, even though i do about 3 miles of walking at my job per day and commute via bike both ways i set it to "sedentary" (1500cal RMR according to the app) and then i ONLY add to that what my powermeter tells me.
basically, on a normal day i'll commute 12 miles round trip, walk 3 miles at work, and then do a 1500kj bike session while eating about 3000 calories, yet my weight stays the same (yes, i do measure my food and even add about 250 "ghost calories" to the day's tally). i work with a powerlifter who is about 180 lbs, does NO cardio, claims to always be warm, and eats a measured 5000cal per day just to maintain weight and not lose it.
so my question is: has all the endurance training made us so hyper-efficient that our bodies basically burn no calories unless we're actively working out? has anyone gotten a gas-exchange test to actually see what their RMR is? i'm just baffled as to how it seems that i need so little intake compared to my activity level lest i gain weight instantly, despite measuring and trying to actually overcompensate in that regard.